Someone sent me a really excellent question today, and it is actually one that I get a lot:

“Can you explain (in a simple way) the difference between Google Docs and Google Drive? I am so mixed up, because they seem to have almost all the same things, but then some things are different.”

When we first got Google Apps for Education in our district, the term “Google Docs” was used to refer to pretty much everything in our Google accounts except for Gmail and Calendar. I have made this mistake of assuming that everyone has since been on the Google bandwagon as "fannishly" as I have, and that they would have noticed when it started being referred to as "Drive." As always tends to happen, though, I have been presented with the lesson that it is not smart to assume. Let me now point out that Docs and Drive are completely separate products, and to go one step further by attempting to explain (in a hopefully simple way) just how.

Drive: When you think Drive, think "filing cabinet." Your Google Drive is a cloud-based storage system that will hold your files of any type. From there you can also create new Google files, including Sheets (spreadsheets), Forms (surveys), Slides (like PowerPoint), Drawings (desktop publishing) and Docs.

Docs: When you think Docs, think of word processing (ex: MS Word or AppleWorks). Google Docs are simply documents where you can type letters, write songs, make lists, etc. Whatever you might do on a piece of paper, you can probably do in Docs.

Besides these, here is also a brief explanation of the rest of your “basic” Google Apps:

Sheets: When you think Sheets, think of a big, blank table (a la MS Excel). Google Sheets are great for keeping track of things in rows and columns. Assignments, rubrics, lists, student data… any of these could easily be tracked (and easily sorted!) in a Sheet.

Forms: Notice the very subtle difference between those two icons? They look similar for a reason. Forms are best described as “surveys.” With Forms, you can gather information from people in multiple choice, text, drop-down menu, scale formats and more. The important thing to note here is that a Form always generates a Sheet - that’s where all of the data goes when respondents submit their answers on your Form.

Slides: Slides is to Google as Powerpoint is to Microsoft. While that’s really enough of an explanation right there (as long as you understand 4th grade level analogies), you have all of the options for animations, transitions, fonts, styles, and backgrounds, with the added benefit of “linkability,” since Slides is web based.

Drawings: The biggest misnomer in the bunch, Drawings should be called “Google Desktop Publishing.” Think Photoshop or MS Publisher. This handy tool can be used to create posters, serve as a terrific alternative to Docs when you want to do more interesting things with a document (ex: combine text and images), and even crop and edit photos. With more control over the placement of elements and the ability to customize the page size, you have lots of options for creation.